Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Authoress's Notes:** Here's my first attempt at an Alternate Universe Naruto story. The first chapters kind of an introduction to the situation and some other stuff like that.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, Sakura, or any characters that belong to Kishimoto-sensei. The OC does belong to me, though. :D Enjoy!

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It was a quarter past eleven in the streets of Konoha City. People were walking up and down the streets, the marks of the nearby holidays that were approaching slowly, but surely. 

Little children ran around the area, smiling happily and laughing contentedly while their parents tried to round them up.

It was an overcast day, the sky a mottled grey as the lights of the city were blaring down below.

Cars drove by, and loud honks could be heard from those too impatient to wait for the person in front of them to move.

Down the street from all of these happenings, though, a large building stood among the rest.

'_Konoha City Police Department' _was what the sign read above it.

Inside of this building were many, _many_ workers hustling around the desks and answering telephones. A few of the workers were even taking a coffee break.

Down the hallway of desks was a young girl, around her mid twenties. She was scribbling away at a paper on her desk, bent over the pen and paper in sheer concentration. Short, pink locks of hair slid over her shoulders as she shifted her position, and jade eyes stared intently at the object before her.

She'd just graduated to a full-on police officer, and she was so very, very happy of it. She even got her own office for days when she didn't have much to do!

Like today.

All she needed was one _really_ big break, and she'd be on her way to bigger and better things in the police district!

The only problem, though, was with the fact that not very many things actually _happened_ in Konoha City.

A few minor robberies here, a few break-ins there, but nothing _really_ big.

Nothing like a huge murder investigation.

And that was exactly what she, Haruno Sakura, needed to get her career shooting up sky-high.

She was one of the smartest police officers that this place had; her boss, Mitarashi Anko, had said so. Sakura believed her boss, too. After all, she'd been working this job many years before Sakura had, and therefore was more experienced.

Sakura sighed as she leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling and the few cracks in it. Being in such a dank working area wasn't her idea of a perfect place, but, it sufficed.

_There has got to be _something_ I can do!_ Sakura thought blandly as she stared ahead, leaning back in her chair. Oh, how she wished to be in a bigger environment and place.

Or at least to have _something _exciting happen in her life.

-

He watched the streets from the bus stop. The many feet, the many people, and the many children lined the sidewalks and area.

Oh, yes. He was in the perfect place. A peaceful city with little crime. The police station, he guessed, probably wasn't prepared for _anything_ he could dish out.

Brushing a strand of hair out of his face, he stood up, lowering the black hat over his face. He began to walk, cautiously looking up from the sidewalk to look in the windows of the Konoha City Police Department.

Boring, was what this city was. No excitement, no brightness, just fake lights and no cares.

Just what he hated.

And then a sight in the back of the police department caught his eye, causing him to stop in his tracks and watch.

It was a girl.

She had odd, pink hair. It was nearly as strange as _his_ unique hair color. He narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on her. She was bent over a piece of paper, scribbling away in determination. For some odd reason, he was fascinated with the way she would scribble, stop, think, and then scribble again.

_A true writer, apparently,_ he thought, continuing to watch her petite form. And then she sat up. Panic immediately shot through the man. She hadn't sensed someone watching her, had she?

And then she stared up at the ceiling, and he knew he was all right. He gave a soft sigh of relief. The girl appeared to be deep in thought, and it made him smile a little. With the way of simple lounging that she was exploiting, he could tell that she wasn't very used to this job. She must've been recently promoted, he figured.

It explained a lot.

The restlessness, the expression, the determination. He grinned to himself. "Well, well, well . . ." he said softly, turning on his heel. "Since I'm new here, I suppose I should leave a lasting impression on those who will be here for a while. . ."

He began to walk away, only to stop short when a little girl came running up to him, smiling brightly. He carefully looked around to see if he spotted anyone looking his way.

There was.

A woman was watching the young girl and him cautiously. He immediately knew that this was the little girl's mother. He looked back at the young girl, who had come to a halt before him. He said nothing, and just watched her for a moment.

"Hi, Mister!" she said cheerfully.

He merely nodded.

"Why do you have a hat on? It's not even raining."

". . ."

"Mister?"

". . . I wear hats," he stated blandly, before turning and walking away. He didn't need to be 'mingling' with the locals. He wanted to complete the task he had planned. He didn't hear footsteps behind him, and that meant the girl had stayed where she was. He narrowed his eyes as he walked.

For letting her daughter waste his time, the mother would need a lesson.

And he was the _perfect_ person to give the lesson to her.

He paused, then. _No,_ he thought, tossing a glance back, only to see the young girl run back to her mother. _Not yet. I can wait. I don't have to do it _yet_. He's not here, and I am. I'll enjoy toying with the other first, and then I will move on when she bores me . . ._

And with that, the man vanished among the on-coming crowd.

-

Sakura sighed as she looked out the window. It was growing closer to noon, and in a few minutes, her shift would be over. Her stomach growled to signal her hunger, and she stared at the clock, willing it to strike noon so that she could go get something to eat.

"Sakura," Anko said, stepping out of her large office. "Nothing's happening today. You can go any time."

"Thank you, Anko-senpai," Sakura said graciously, never happier with her boss. She gathered the objects she needed and immediately headed towards the door.

Going outside, she was met by a strong gush of air. She shivered slightly as she gathered her coat and pulled it even tighter around herself. It just _had_ to be so cold didn't it?

She hustled along the sidewalk, searching for a restaurant where she would be able to get something decent to eat. She sighed in relief as the coffee shop came into view. She stepped inside, glad to just be in the warmth.

She looked around. The tables and booths were full, and she let a small groan escape from her mouth. She was just about to turn and walk out when she heard him.

"Sakura-chan, don't go!" A loud voice called, causing her to look in the direction. The blonde hair was an instant give-away, and she smiled. She wouldn't be on a date with him, (even if he would disagree later) but at least she'd get a chair to sit at.

"Hi, Naruto," she said, walking over to the booth he was occupying a side of. She shrugged off her large coat and sat down across from him, setting the coat beside her. It had been a while since she'd seen her co-worker, and she had never been happier to see him. She smiled at him.

He grinned brightly back.

"What's up? Are you enjoying your new office? Is it fun?" he asked, looking at her curiously. Sakura's smile broadened a little at the bombarding questions that her friend emitted.

"It's nice, being in a new work area, but I _do_ miss my old friends from the training sessions. It was nice to see you all every day."

"Really?" Naruto asked, grinning from ear to ear. "We all miss you a lot! Lee can't stop saying how much he misses seeing you around, and everyone can't seem to stop thinking about how shocking it was to see you go."

"It was a shock for me too, Naruto," Sakura nodded. "And let Lee know that I miss him too, as well as everyone else. How's everyone doing, though?"

"Great!" Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Lee's doing awesome, and everyone thinks he's gonna be the next person to graduate! Kiba's doing a great job learning how to train the police dogs, too, and Shino's learning how to track someone down. It's awesome."

"And what about you, Naruto? How are _you_ doing?" Sakura asked curiously, watching him.

"Me?" Naruto asked, before pondering. "I'm doing the best! Kakashi-senpai keeps training us harder and harder, but I don't get tired!" he boasted.

Sakura smiled at the enthusiasm she was so used to getting from Naruto. "I'm sure you don't, Naruto," she said as the waitress arrived, bringing over some eggs and a coke that Naruto had apparently ordered.

She looked at Sakura. "Did you want something, Ms.?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, smiling. "I'd like some coffee and toast, please."

"All right, I'll get it," the waitress replied, smiling before going back to the kitchen to place the new order.

"So, Sakura," Naruto said, looking at the pink-haired police officer curiously. "Have you made any new friends since you got promoted?"

"Friends? Well, sort of, I suppose. My boss, Mitarashi Anko, is a very nice woman when she's in a good mood . . . And there's Tenten. She works with me on some of the paperwork for Anko-senpai. There's also a boy named Uchiha Sasuke," she said, smiling. "He's a rank above me."

"Uchiha Sasuke, huh?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms. "I hear he's one of those guys who enjoy doing the 'good-cop, bad-cop' thing . . ."

"Well, I haven't gotten to talk to him very much, so I honestly couldn't tell you."

Naruto smiled. "Gotcha," he said, before digging into his meal as Sakura's was brought to her.

The two ate in silence, both totally oblivious to the man listening intently to their conversation from the opposite side of Naruto's booth.

-

Sakura had said goodbye to Naruto, and had thanked him for the meal since he'd insisted to buy it for her. She walked up to her apartment and pulled out the key from her coat pocket. Unlocking the door, she walked inside; stretching comfortably once she'd closed and locked the door. It was nice just to be _home_.

She yanked off her coat and hung it sloppily on the coat-rack. She walked over to the kitchen, just about to get cozy and get a cup of hot cocoa when a knock sounded at her door. She gave a slight sigh before getting up and going over to the door. She opened it, her eyes widening in slight surprise as she saw who it was.

"Hey, Forehead _Cop_!" Ino announced, smiling at her childhood friend. "Don't you know that you're supposed to look through the peep-hole on your door before you open it?"

Sakura sighed. "I guess I forgot, Ino. Sorry."

"Oh, forehead, you're always taking everything so personally! I was just joking with you!" Ino smiled, brushing past Sakura and going inside. "I see you haven't redecorated like I suggested . . ."

Sakura closed the door. "Yeah, I know. I've just been so busy, Ino. I haven't had the chance to do very much."

"Really? You just started working and you're already too busy to do anything," she said, waving her finger in the air. "That's a desperate plea of 'I need a boyfriend', Sakura."

"I don't need a boyfriend, Ino!" Sakura protested. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are . . ." Ino smirked. "Well, anyway, I came to give you some news. I'm throwing a birthday party for Hinata, since that prick of a father she's got won't throw her one. I'm inviting most of our friends and workers, and you're _more_ than welcome to come."

"When's it scheduled for?" Sakura asked curiously, watching her friend sit on the couch.

"Friday night at eight," Ino replied, stretching her arms out and lounging contentedly on the couch. "You going to come?"

"If I don't have any work, then yeah, I'll come," Sakura smiled, earning a grin from Ino.

"Good. I'll expect to see you there, then."

"Yeah," Sakura smiled. "I was going to make some hot cocoa. You want s---"

"Would I _ever_! It's so cold outside, I'd actually drink _coffee_!"

Sakura laughed at her friend. Ino _hated_ the taste of black coffee, but she had a sweet tooth like a little kid in a candy shop. Sakura nodded happily, before going into the kitchen and starting on the hot cocoa.

-

_Too close,_ he thought bitterly as he shoved his pale hands into his pockets. He'd just seen her in the police station less than an hour ago, and she'd already been let off? He couldn't believe that she'd chosen the coffee shop where he had been. It was extremely dangerous for him to get so close to the girl. It was a miracle that he had been able to wear his hat in the shop.

It hadn't been a total waste, though. He'd gotten the cherry-blossom-haired girl's first name.

_Sakura . . ._ he thought, a smirk making its way onto his face. _Perfect. Her name suits her kindly._

He smiled as he neared his house, opening the door once he'd gotten to it.

He sighed as he entered the house, the smell of fresh blood entering his senses as he closed the door behind him. He'd tried desperately to get rid of the scent three days ago when he'd killed the man and woman who had lived here before him. No one had come to investigate their disappearance because the two didn't live in the city, and had never registered as members of it.

He set his hat on the back of a chair and walked over to a desk in the living room. He pulled his laptop open and took a seat in front of it. He ran a hand through his matted hair and watched the screen come to life. He smiled at the background.

It was a picture of the police he'd killed in the last city he'd been to.

Pulling up the Konoha City Police Department's website, he clicked the 'login' button.

_Classified._

He smiled and typed in Sakura's first name, and then paused, thinking back to the conversation between her and the Naruto kid to see if he could spot anything in the harmless speaking to be compared to a password.

He smirked, then, and began typing in the password area.

_Lee, Naruto, Kakashi-senpai, Uchiha Sasuke._

He smiled in spite of himself as the screen flipped to the home page.

Too easy.

The new people in the police stations always picked the most obvious passwords.

Though, he was being a little unfair with Sakura. He _was_ a professional, after all.

He went to the 'search profile' page and typed 'Sakura' into the small section.

A profile of the girl he'd taken interest in popped up on the screen. He smirked, reading over her profile.

_Name: Haruno Sakura_

_Age: Twenty-four_

_Eyes: Jade, green_

_Hair: Pink_

_Height: Five feet, six inches_

He continued reading up what he wanted to find out about her, until he was finally satisfied.

He stood up and walked over to his cabinet, pulling out a pair of gloves. He walked over to a sheet of paper, where a quill and ink were settled. He began to write away, engulfed in his newly found work.

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**_I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The second should have a bit more action to it. Please review!_**

**_Thanks!_**

**_Shebby_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authoress's Note:** I'd like to thank Symbiotic for giving me a _very_ helpful review. Symbiotic pointed out quite a few things that I had missed, and helped me out _so_ much. Thanks!

Anyway, here's chapter two of Questions and Answers. I hope you enjoy. This is my first take at a very serious story, and criticism is so much more than just welcome:)

Also, I'm looking for a beta who'll take the time to listen/read my ideas and check over my work, so if you're interested, please let me know. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor the characters. The mysterious guy _is_ mine, though. Enjoy!

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Sakura woke to find herself sprawled out across her reclining chair. She groaned softly, her eyes trying to adjust to the lights filtering in through the window that was across her room. She squinted, the harsh light too much for her to handle. 

After a few moments, she sat up in the chair, wincing as she felt the muscles of her upper-back and neck tighten, signaling the aches that were going to come from sleeping in such an unusual position.

It was strange, though. Sakura couldn't remember falling asleep the evening before. She gave a soft grunt as she shifted her position so that she could push down the leg-rest of the chair; her feet now upon the ground.

She looked down at her attire, and sighed once she realized that she was still wearing her working clothes.

Standing up, she tried not to pay much attention to her screaming muscles. She walked down the hall in her apartment, heading towards the one room that she slept in. Her apartment wasn't very complex, consisting of a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom.

A few pictures lined the white walls, most of them either pictures of her mother, her friends from the training academy where she'd become a police officer, or her father, who had passed away two summers ago.

Her living room had nothing more than a couch, a reclining chair, and a medium-sized television. Her kitchen was a plain one, with two hand towels, a stove, a microwave, a cabinet for her seasonings, and a refrigerator. Her bathroom was small, with a toilet, a shower, and a sink. Sakura had no fancy decorations for this room, nor did she want any.

Her bedroom was made up of a bed, a dresser for her folded clothing, a closet for her nicer clothes, a single bed, a bed-side table, a lamp, and a bookshelf.

Sakura stepped into her bedroom, walking over to her closet. She pulled it open and reached inside, pulling out a pair of new, black jeans and a tan t-shirt. She stretched, trying to get rid of the kinks and cricks in her neck as she did so.

"I need a shower . . ." she muttered to herself as she trudged towards the bathroom, still groggy. She wasn't ready to get up so early. She looked over at the alarm clock on her bed-side table, only to find that things were too blurry for her to see correctly. She sighed.

It really didn't matter. If she was still so tired, then she didn't need to worry about what time it was. She was usually up and ready by seven-thirty, which was the time that she needed to head to work at.

She trudged down the hall until she reached a door, pulling it open and going inside. She dropped her spare clothing on the floor and reached under the sink to get some towels. A shower would help wake her up; she was sure of it.

Turning the hot and cold knobs to the shower, she looked in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were lopsided, she had slight lines beneath her eyes, and she looked half-dead because of her sleepy-state.

What a wonderful way to wake up in the morning.

-

Crumpled paper had gathered around the man's over-sized, black boots. He had stayed up all evening, and yet he _still_ couldn't come up with something presentable enough to give this Sakura girl. He emitted a small growl of frustration and leaned back in the chair.

"Aw _hell_," he cursed, narrowing his eyes at the fresh, white sheet of paper that he had hastily thrown down before himself.

He stood up and stormed over to the door. He couldn't eat anything that was in the refrigerator, considering the fact that he hadn't taken the time to restock in three days, and he was almost positive that the food items inside of it were spoiled and rotten by now.

He'd taken a look in the dank, dusty pantry the day before, and had found nothing more than canned fruit and stale bread. Neither of these interested him, and he had a feeling that the people who had lived here before were trying to lie low.

_Who knows,_ he thought as he grabbed a black coat off of the back of a chair. _Maybe I did some good when I killed those stupid old fools. It's a shame if I have. There should be more people like myself in the world. Then it wouldn't be nearly as boring as it is now._

Thrusting on the jacket and pulling his hat over his un-kempt hair, the man stepped out of 'his' house and stopped dead.

He narrowed his eyes in frustration.

It was snowing already. He didn't like snow very much, considering it always made things twice as cold as they had been, and it made him look paler than he already was.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his over-coat, he began walking down the uneven pathway that led to the over-crowded Konoha City. He shuddered softly as a harsh, cold wind billowed through the trees, making him reach out and grab his hat so that it didn't fly off of his head.

_This sucks,_ he thought bitterly, lifting up the collar of his coat so that it covered up the lower half of his face. It was so freaking cold here in this bleak little area.

He looked around at the area he had so willingly chosen four days prior. He was surrounded by trees, and this place was a good hour's walk to get from where he was to Konoha City. He had plenty of land to keep him occupied, and apparently there was a farm that the housekeepers had so graciously created. It looked fairly new, so he had figured it hadn't been up for too long.

He shrugged to himself as he walked towards the city, glad for the warmth of his jacket.

Maybe he would find some 'inspiration' in the city for him to give to the Sakura girl. Perhaps she would like a victim for her to investigate?

Who knew; maybe he'd even go against his 'personal code' for her. He hadn't with his last toy, but if this one was even funner than she had been, then he would bend a few of his own rules.

'_If_' was the key word to his statement.

He pondered over this the entire way through the small woods that obscured him from the city.

-

_Okay, so, I've slept, showered, dressed, and brushed my hair,_ Sakura stated mentally as she ran a pale tan hair-brush through her cherry-blossom-colored hair. Once satisfied, she set the brush back on the counter and turned on her heel. _I'm certain I can get something to eat at the office, and that's just about all I'm going to need to do._

She walked down the hall towards her living room, and suddenly stopped dead when she heard a noise that was somewhat like a grunt and a snore. Her police instincts kicked in and she softly slipped over to the wall. She carefully inched along it towards the living room, ducking at some points to avoid hitting paintings and giving her location away.

How long had someone been in her apartment?

She was finally getting close to the living room, and once she hit the corner that signaled the end of the hall, she took a silent, deep breath. Holding it for a second, she let it out quietly, allowing the nervousness and stiffness dissipate along with the breath.

She wished right then and there that she had thought to grab a weapon. She mentally cursed herself. If Anko had found out about this, she would have had a fit!

Sakura could feel her chest tightening, and knew that if she didn't look fast, then she wouldn't be able to look at all. She carefully and quietly looked around the corner, fully expecting some person clad in all black with a mask to be standing in her front room with a machete or worse.

She did _not_ expect to see Ino curled up on the couch, grunting and snoring to her content.

Ino, apparently, had fallen asleep before Sakura. The woman was so deep in sleep that Sakura figured that she wouldn't wake for another hour or so.

_If it weren't for the fact that both of her parents were sick, I'd wake her up . . ._ Sakura thought as she yanked her jacket off of the coat rack. She shrugged it on and buttoned it up. Walking into her kitchen, she dug through her cabinet drawer until she found a notepad and pen. She quickly wrote a note for Ino so that she would know nothing had happened to her and that she could stay as long as she wanted.

Taping the small note onto the back of her front door, Sakura cast a quick glance back at her apartment. Everything was in place, just as it should have been. She turned back to the door and opened it. She slipped outside and a gust of cold air hit her like a brick. She shivered as she locked the door once more and turned to walk to her work station.

She was a single valid worker, and she constantly took advantage of this. She was a full-time police officer, but she also helped work at the office on days when nothing much happened; and that was most of the time. Her friends constantly wondered how she had time to balance her work life _and_ her social life, but Sakura managed to do it, one way or another. She turned a corner, walking towards the sound of the busier part of Konoha City. She had chosen to live in the less inhabited part of the city so that she wouldn't be woken in the middle of the night by cars whizzing by her house.

Sakura, and a few other people, came to a halt at the cross-walk where many cars were going past. Sakura sighed as she took in her surroundings—one of her favorite past-times.

To her left was an indoor restaurant—Naruto's favorite since it served his favored dish; ramen. Ahead of her, cars were passing by in a hurry as they raced to beat the street light. Across the crosswalk was a clothing building – one that Sakura preferred because of its affordable costs. Ahead of it was a fancy little holiday shop, one that only opened near a certain season. This time it was decorated with thousands of multi-colored lights and fake Christmas trees. Sakura glanced to the side to see what else was decorated for the holidays, but was jolted out of her musings by a sharp vibration coming from her coat pocket.

She hastily reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell-phone, flipping it open as the 'walk' symbol changed, allowing her and the others to go across the street.

"Haruno Sakura speaking," she said as she stepped onto the sidewalk of the other side.

"Yo, Sak, what's up?" A leering voice asked giddily from the opposite side of the line.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the cheerful tone of her friend. "Nothing much, Kiba, just heading to work."

Kiba gave a grunt. "Bleh, that sounds _boring_. You should come party with me and the guys once in a while."

Sakura laughed, turning another corner as her workplace came into view. "Yeah, sure, but you know how I am. You're lucky to get me from the office, nonetheless _partying_."

"Uh-huh, _sure_ I am." He paused. "You comin' to Hinata's party?"

"I'm going to try to." Sakura gave a light sigh. "No guarantees, though."

Kiba huffed on his end of the line. "Come on, Sakura, you're a freakin' workaholic."

"I know that, Kiba It's not like I haven't been told before," Sakura stated as she crossed the street to the office.

"But—"

"Look, Kiba, I'm going into work now, so I can't talk anymore," she interrupted.

Sakura could hear Kiba hesitate, but he finally caved in. "All right. Talk to you later, then, I suppose. Have fun at work."

"Thank you, Kiba. You have a good"—she was cut off as he hung up—". . . Day."

Closing her cell-phone, Sakura pulled open the front door of the police department. The smell of cheap air freshener wafted its way up her nose, as well as the smell of donuts.

Sakura's stomach growled as it tried to remind her that she'd had yet to eat. She turned and glanced up at the wall above the door, seeing that she still had enough time to sneak in a few donuts before her shift started.

Wandering towards the smell, she found herself going in the direction of the higher-classed police. She usually didn't go this way, considering it was the opposite way of her desk, but she _was_ hungry.

Finally, she arrived at the location of the donuts. Tenten, Sasuke, and a man that Sakura recognized but couldn't name, were all gathered around Tenten's desk.

And the donuts were right there with them.

Tenten was the first to notice Sakura standing there staring at the donuts. She smiled at the pink-haired woman.

"Well hi, Sakura," she said, gesturing for her to come over. "Come and have a few donuts!"

Sakura wasn't sure if she was dreaming, considering her stomach was distracting her rather well, but she walked into the office—or rather, _booth_, actually. Anko was too cheap to get everyone separate offices, although it _was_ mostly their fault, considering no one ever complained.

"Thanks, Tenten," Sakura said cheerfully as she took one of the donuts out of the box.

"Not a problem. You've met Neji-san, haven't you?" Tenten gestured to the taller man with the long, dark brown hair.

"Barely," Sakura replied, looking at him in curiosity. She'd run into him—sometimes literally—a few times before, but she'd never really talked to him.

"'Barely'?" Tenten repeated. "What kind of make-shift answer is _that_? Have you met him or not?"

"Well, yes—we've just never been properly introduced. Is he even a police officer from this department?"

"He's not an officer at all," Sasuke stated, speaking up for the first time since Sakura had arrived. "He's one of the top lawyers of the state."

Sakura looked over at Neji, her eyes widening in admiration. She quickly covered with a question, though. "Then why are you _here_, at the police station?"

Neji looked like he was about to speak, but Tenten beat him to it. "We're celebrating his victory in the case of prosecuting Tayuya of the 'Sound Four'. You've heard of that group, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I've heard of them," she said honestly. The 'Sound Four', as they called themselves, were well-known for kidnapping people and mentally torturing them before releasing them. None of the members had been named before, since the released hostages all came out in similar conditions.

Too scared or mentally scarred to even _think_ about what the names of their captives.

"Well, Neji-san went out and prosecuted _against_ Tayuya, and he beat down all of his opponent's statements without any problems!" Tenten boasted proudly. "We'll be celebrating his victory on Friday. He's off from work until next Monday, as an extended holiday. You want to come to the party with us, Sakura?"

Sakura hesitated, unsure of what she should do. She _did_ have other plans for that evening. "Where is the party going to be at?"

Neji was about to reply, but once again, Tenten cut him off. "His cousin's birthday's Friday, so we're going to have it at her house."

"His cousin?"

"His co—"

"_My_ cousin's name is Hyuuga Hinata," Neji stated, interrupting Tenten. "Her party location is large enough to accommodate the people coming to my party as well, and she has given us permission to do so. Therefore, that makes her house an obvious choice to celebrate at."

Sakura was shocked at how specific and easily this man spoke. "Well, then, if I _do_ decide to come to the party, I'd like to know what to call the person I'm helping to celebrate for," she smiled.

"Of course," he stated. "I am Hyuuga Neji."

Sakura's smile broadened. "Then my name is Haruno Sakura. It's a pleasure to finally know your name."

"Hn," Neji grunted, picking up a donut from the box.

Tenten laughed. "Come take a seat, Sakura. You look like you could use a few friends around here. I can't see any other people to make candidates other than us, so, come on."

Sakura hesitated a little. She _did_ have work to do, but having a few friends that were higher in status than she was couldn't _hurt_, could it?

"All right, thanks," she smiled, taking a seat in one of the chairs the room held.

Making friends would be great for her own status, but why did she suddenly get the feeling that she was betraying her _other_ friends?

-

He shivered fiercely as he came to the end of the woods; the early city lights blaring down upon him. He clenched his fists in his pocket and narrowed his eyes, staring down at the ground as he tried to level himself. The ground was covered in a thick blanket of snow that was quickly being added to.

_I hate the snow!_ He growled mentally, looking back up at the city.

People were beginning to flow through the streets, causing it to look crowded and bustling. He smirked in spite of himself. He could point out about three or more people in the crowd who were very capable of being a criminal, even though they never would be.

It was ironic how the scrawniest, smartest people around became some of the best criminals, he thought.

He scoffed at the notion. It didn't really matter, did it? No one would ever be able to live up to _his_ standards. No one would ever be able to get away with _nearly_ as many crimes as he had committed. Most of all, though, no one would ever be able to outsmart him. He was as brilliant as they came, through his eyes.

Setting his jaw, the man walked into the busy, waking city. All around him, bright Christmas decorations were strung up inside and outside of houses, shops, and restaurants.

_Why do people insist upon putting up decorations? It wastes so much valuable time . . ._ he thought bitterly as he came to a halt. He was standing in front of a two-story, five-star restaurant that was over-decorated. Christmas wreaths were attached to each window and door, lights lined the walls and roof, while inside holly and candles were set on each table. He could faintly hear music coming from in side, and let out a breath in such a way that it sounded more like a hiss.

He glanced up at the name of the restaurant.

_'Dragon's Mist Hotel and Diner'._

He smirked to himself. What sort of idiot named their place something like _that_?

Turning on his heel, he was ready to walk away, but a man came running down the street towards him. Before he even had the chance to move, the guy shoved him clear out of the way and into a wall. The man turned around and glared at him. "Next time, get out of the way!" he shouted angrily, before turning back and continuing to run.

The black-suited man sat up, having been rammed into the wall hard enough to knock him over. He took a deep, furious breath and began to sit up. His back ached, as his shoulders did, and it hurt to move—and yet, he still stood up. He looked around himself.

People were staring at him as they passed by, but no one bothered to try and actually _help_ him. It nearly made him sick. Brushing himself off, he knew that he was going to have to do _something_.

This city had it _too_ easy. If he let it continue, any one would be able to do _anything_ without being taken notice of. He'd have to make people more alert than they were.

He began to walk again—a little stiff, but still at a decent pace. It would be fun to teach these people a good lesson.

He looked around, hoping to find a decent victim of his 'lesson', and found himself at the police department again soon. He stared inside, noticing almost immediately that the pink-haired female wasn't at her desk. Was she sick?

He looked around inside, spotting her finally in one of the 'offices' with three other people. He narrowed his eyes at the brown-haired male. He'd heard about what that man had done to the red-head female from the Sound Four, and he hadn't been pleased. People like him should have let criminals free for doing their world good and getting rid of potential hazards!

He'd never really like lawyers anyway. They got too much attention for putting useful people into prison.

He turned on his heel and began to walk away before he was taken notice of. He couldn't let himself get caught. That would be humiliating—especially in a place like _this_.

He needed to clear his head, was all. He looked around, his sight landing on a thin, brown-haired woman who was bundled up and sitting on a bench at the bus stop. A fluttery feeling made its way into the man's stomach, and he knew it then and there.

She was perfect. Everything he'd _dreamed_ of.

She would be the first one he killed for this 'Haruno Sakura'.

* * *

**_Well, there's chapter two! Let me know what you think in a review, please?_**

**_The next chapter should have a bit more action in it than this one or the first one. It's going to start picking up a little more._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authoress's Note:** I would like to apologize for the amount of time that it took to produce this chapter. It gave me _so_ many problems that it isn't even funny... And if I hadn't stopped myself, I probably would have edited it down to two words - "Evil Story". Ha.

But on a more serious note, I hope you can forgive me, and I hope the chapter's not too bad. If you spot anything that needs fixing, let me know.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, any of the characters associated with the Manga/Anime, nor anything else in its entirety - and I never will. The mysterious guy _does_ belong to me though. Enjoy!

* * *

Sakura waved at her three 'friends' before heading down the hall towards her own office. Her stomach was much more satisfied now that she'd eaten something.

Walking towards her desk, she could see new papers stacked up on it. She sighed, realizing that she was a little late for her shift.

Taking a seat, Sakura picked up the top paper. She stared at it long and hard, taking in every little detail that was written upon the small parchment. After reading it over several times, her eyes widened and she jumped out of the chair she'd just settled herself in. She ran towards Anko's office—shoving the door open in haste.

Anko, who was on the phone, looked up instantly upon seeing the door swing open. She held up her finger to warn Sakura that she needed to wait.

Sakura gave a soft huff and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She looked around Anko's office as she waited as patiently as she could.

It wasn't _too_ much larger than her own. It had a rather nice-sized desk, a file cabinet that was probably storing a ton of files on minor criminals in it. There were two chairs in front of the desk, and a potted cactus resided in the far left corner of the room. There was a book shelf beside it, stacked full of multiple text books.

Anko's desk was full of knick-knacks, papers, pens, pencils, and staples. There was the telephone that Anko was on, and a few ponytails. Sakura stared at it, surprised at just how un-cleanly her boss was.

Finally, Anko hung up the phone and motioned for Sakura to come over and take a seat. Sakura did as instructed and smoothed out her pants' legs as she sat.

Anko seemed to notice that something was a little off with the obvious anxiety Sakura was emitting, and looked at her student seriously. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"What is _this_, Anko-senpai?!" Sakura asked sharply, having to control herself before she started to shriek at the woman. She held up the paper for Anko to see clearly.

Anko motioned with her hand for Sakura to bring the paper forward. Sakura gave her the paper and let her read it. Anko laughed suddenly.

"Sakura, this is a note I wrote to warn everyone that they'll be let off for a week. It's the holidays, and everyone needs a break."

"But _how_ can we take a break!? We're police officers! We're supposed to uphold the law, not-"

"Sakura, relax. There's going to be someone here to take care of everything. Besides, you're still a cop. You'll be called in when you're needed, so, don't worry about it."

Sakura bit into her lower lip. Was Anko really serious about this? Or was it just a cruel joke?

"I--"

She halted her words as the phone rang. Anko looked at Sakura directly and without faltering in the least. "Go for a walk and clear your head. Hang out with a few of your friends. It'll be good for you, so do it," she stated before picking up the phone.

"Hello?"

Sakura knew that there would be no reason in even _trying_ to argue with her senpai and stood up, walking out of the cluttered office.

Trudging down the hall and towards the front door, Sakura was confronted by Tenten and Neji.

"Hey, Sakura! Neji-san and I are going to the mall! You wanna come?"

Sakura shrugged. "Yeah, sure," she replied as she tightened up her coat. She paused contemplatively. "Can I invite a friend or two along?"

Tenten nodded. "Yeah! The more the merrier!"

"Thanks," Sakura smiled, pulling out her cell-phone as she followed the two outside. She listened intently as the ring went through the phone. She smiled as she heard the ringing come to a halt.

"Ugghh . . . Hello?"

"Hey!" Sakura said cheerfully. "You wanna come to the mall, Ino?"

"Yeah . . . Sure . . . Why exactly am I at _your_ house, Sakura?" Ino asked drowsily. It was obvious that she'd just woken up.

"You fell asleep there. Come on, you can wear one of my outfits from my room. Meet us at the mall in a half-an-hour," Sakura instructed. She hung up the phone before Ino could ask any more questions as she climbed into Tenten's car with Neji and Tenten. She began to dial again, calling Naruto.

-

He bit into his lower lip as he tried to angle her _just_ right. It was difficult, and she kept trying to move, but he had sworn to himself that he wasn't going to lose his patience with her.

She had been quite easy to lure into coming with him, which had proven his thoughts correct. The residents of this little city were too spoiled with the lack of crimes, and that had made them too trusting. It was pathetic.

"Enough," he snapped, backhanding her clear across her wetted cheek, causing her to tumble to her side. He was trying to make her stop squirming, but she didn't seem to keen on cooperating. She burst out in even more tears than before, and he clenched his empty fist, narrowing his eyes.

"Why . . . Why are you doing this?" she stammered, blood beginning to form around her mouth. Her cheek was swelling up and beginning to bruise over the already formed bruises. He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Stop. Moving."

"P-please s-stop... I-I won't t-tell an-anyone a-about this . . ."

"Stop _moving_."

"Please!" she begged loudly, her tears becoming more and more at a faster rate.

He scowled. "I'm not joking,' he stated sharply, reaching into his large coat. His fingers lightly brushed something cold and metallic.

The woman broke down in thick sobbing noises in front of him, blood sliding down her forehead and her neck, forming small puddles of blood by her knees as she bent over. She shook fiercely as her fear intensified.

His fingers lightly traced the edge of the object concealed within his coat as he tried to think of something to help him position her..

"I'll...I'll do _a-anything_..." she pleaded again, obviously quite desperate to reason with him.

Frustrated, his mental state snapped in a second. He clutched the metallic item in his jacket and whipped out a nine-millimeter Berretta with a six inch silencer screwed onto the end. The dim sunlight created a gleam against the side of the pistol. Before she could even gather the breath to scream, he fired three shots in quick succession; two in the chest, and one in the head. The only sound audible was the snick of the slide action chambering and ejecting each round.

He watched as her now limp body sunk to the ground, halting her from moving ever again.

He really hadn't wanted to kill her quite _yet_. He'd wanted to position her correctly before he did, but, some things just didn't go as planned. He concealed the weapon in his coat's hidden pocket once more and began walking out of the alleyway he had persuaded the girl into. It was a bit of a long walk, but he could use it. He needed to clear his head so that he wasn't going to snap out in public. That would have been a very bad situation for him to get into.

He came to a halt just before he reached the end of the alley. He cast a glance down at his so called 'uniform'. He had managed to avoid getting blood on himself. A wry smirk made its way onto his face as he turned on his heel.

_I shouldn't,_ he thought darkly. _But I'm going to anyway..._

_--_

It was very fortunate, Sakura thought, that the drive to the mall from the police headquarters was rather short.

Riding in a car had never really been something that Sakura had enjoyed doing. She preferred to walk to her destinations. That way, she'd be free to go at her own chosen pace and not have to worry about a head-on collision with anyone who decided to go a little too far on tequila or any other alcoholic beverage.

Driving was just too dangerous sometimes.

Climbing out of Tenten's police cruiser, Sakura stretched graciously. She was pleased to see that Ino had already pulled up in her aqua colored Corvette. She was leaning against the passenger's side door examining her nails intently.

Sakura smiled lightly to herself before looking around once more, wondering if Naruto had already showed up as well. She had called him on the way, but he didn't appear to have arrived yet. Ignoring the fact, she started to walk towards Ino, curious to know how long it would take for her to be noticed by the blonde.

Surprisingly, Ino abandoned her inspection and spotted the pink-haired girl instantly. Smiling widely, she darted towards her friend and engulfed her in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

Sakura coughed slightly from surprise, pushing her friend away gently. "What do you mean 'you're proud of me'?" she asked, eyeing her childhood friend suspiciously. Ino smirked a little.

"You made new friends at work!"

Sakura cast her a glare while Tenten emitted a laugh as she walked over to join the pair, Neji walking behind her a little cautiously. It was obvious that he wasn't all that comfortable with the fact that he was the only man there at the moment.

Ino looked over at the newcomers with curiosity. "Hi there! What are _your_ names?"

Sakura mentally sighed. Ino really had no idea of how to approach someone new – she just bombarded them spontaneously with questions. It was a wonder how she even got dates.

Tenten seemed eager to introduce herself, doing so with high spirits and a bright smile. Upon finishing her own introduction, she had been about to introduce Neji as well. Neji managed to beat her to it, though, and introduced himself with dignity and slightly more than a monotone. He certainly wasn't a people-person - that was for sure.

As Sakura was getting her hopes up of her friends all getting along perfectly, the loud screech of wheels spinning and sliding hard against the thick concrete pavement nearly deafened her. Screeching to a halt two spaces away from Ino's car, Naruto stepped out of his bright orange Accord with a little too much excitement on his face. "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura winced slightly. Why had she invited him along again?

Oh, yeah. It was because she didn't have many other people _to_ invite, and he'd been the first one on her contact list.

Offering the man a slight wave of embarrassment, Naruto strolled over to the group casually. He seemed to stare at Neji the longest, though quickly discarded whatever thoughts were running through his head as he turned to Sakura.

"How are you? Good?"

"I'm fine, Naruto," Sakura sighed, looking at the others. Ino was obviously trying to avoid laughing at the blonde, while Tenten looked a little surprised. Neji appeared to be disgusted by Naruto's unusual loud way of greeting people.

Well, things _could_ have been worse, right? Sakura hoped so. She certainly didn't need _another_ public humiliation. The last time she'd gone to one of Kiba's less 'appropriate' parties, she'd ended up letting Rock Lee kiss her. Ino, as well as most of the people who had been at the party, never let her live it down when she went to parties.

So, she'd just stopped going.

Now Sakura only prayed that she wouldn't have to avoid going to the mall altogether as well. Sure, the items were always over priced, but that didn't mean she didn't like window shopping!

_Maybe I can just ditch him once we go inside . . ._ she thought hopefully, offering Naruto a plastic smile as he grinned cheerfully at her. _Yeah. I'll _definitely_ ditch him . . ._

Finally, Tenten started to lead everyone into the mall's entrance. Sakura followed a little ways behind with Ino, while Naruto bounded up to talk to Neji – most likely about whether or not he had _actually_ convicted Tayuya of the 'Sound Four'.

Ino cast a curious glance over at Sakura, eyeing her outfit over with slight disdain. "Did you just get off of work or something, Forehead?"

"Unfortunately," Sakura replied with a sigh. "Anko ordered a mandatory week off for the holidays."

"That's great!" Ino grinned. "That means you'll have time to come to Hinata's party!"

"_Maybe_," Sakura stated sharply. "No promises. You know what happens when I make promises, Ino."

"Yeah, yeah . . . You 'make' a 'promise' and then you feel really guilty later because you can't keep it. I know the drill, Forehead," Ino sighed. "I seriously think you need to liven things up in your life! I mean, look at you! You work all day and sleep at night! That is so _boring_! I bet you haven't had _one_ hangover since Kiba's party, have you?"

" . . . No."

"See? That's _so_ dull, Forehead. One day I swear that I'm going to take you to a party again, whether I have to knock you unconscious first and drag you to it!"

Sakura laughed. "Like you could, Ino. You'd probably break a nail—and we all know you couldn't let _that_ happen, right?"

" . . . Okay, so I'll get Kiba or Lee to do it—but still! I'll get you there!" Ino protested in return, crossing her arms as if trying to defend her course of logic. Sakura sighed, knowing quite well that arguing with Ino any further would be completely pointless. She had her mind made up, and that was that.

--

Making his way out of the alley for the second time, the darkly-dressed man turned to his left and strolled leisurely down the sidewalk, acting as if he hadn't just committed a horrifying felony. He had become so accustomed to this way of living that nothing he did seemed to change his way of thinking—it just intrigued him more with each murder he committed or assisted in.

Everything always appeared to be the same in most of the cities he would travel to, and he always left a city with a spectacular way of making sure no one would forget him for a long time.

In the past city that he had visited, he'd stayed there for three months. He'd chosen a nice brunette who had been obviously slacking on her job as a policeman, and he'd quickly made it so she didn't have _time_ to slack off. He'd killed most of her comrades within two and a half months, and after allowing her to falsely believe that she was on his trail, he'd surprised her and murdered her as well.

Obviously, he hadn't been caught yet, and had no intention of allowing himself to be.

Turning towards the small river that flowed through the rather large city, he made his way to the edge, noting instantly that the river had frozen over. Smirking softly to himself, he tried not to laugh.

_Why can't people be more like this river?_ He asked, leaning down and stroking the frozen surface with his gloved hand. _Life would be so much easier if people could just completely freeze for as long as a single season and defrost once it was over. It would give them enough time to think about what they do, their mistakes, and the reason why they all deserve to die . . ._ he thought, his eyes narrowing as his thoughts drew to a close. _But no . . . People are insignificant fools who think too highly of themselves. Those who die are good. Those who live are stupid._

After a moment of brooding, he stood back up at his full height, looking out over the frozen river. He hadn't noticed when he'd arrived, but there were a few people actually out ice skating. _If only they would fall in and freeze . . ._ he thought with a smirk, before reprimanding himself for thinking such juvenile thoughts. He was _past_ the nonchalant brooding of a novice. He knew what reality was, and wishing for someone to drown without a cause was the type of thinking a spiteful child would conceive.

No, a true genius would make a way for the person in which he wanted dead to die. It was as simple as that.

_If_ you didn't get caught, of course.

Too many people got caught for doing good deeds. People like Hyuuga Neji spent too much time convicting people for killing a person instead of finding out why the dead person was killed.

Everyone deserved to die. It was in the human nature _to_ die.

No one could live forever, and he knew that from experience.

Shaking thoughts that threatened to intrude his mental state out of his head, he turned around and shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't need to be sitting here brooding over anything. He'd gotten past that stage years ago. Nothing he did bothered him anymore unless it risked his getting caught.

_It's too cold out here,_ he thought bitterly, watching as a thick vapor rose up in front of his mouth as he emitted a warm breath. Pulling his arms against his sides, he heaved a heavy sigh – feeling as if the warmth inside of his body was being let out with each breath he released.

Removing one of his hands from his pocket, he reached up and pulled his hat down further on his head before heading towards the coffee shop he'd been to the previous day; intent upon getting something to warm himself up.

* * *

_**There's Chapter 3, finally! I hope you liked it!! Let me know what you thought of it in a review, please? Some pointers would be welcomed!**_

**_Thank you!_**

**_Shebby_**


End file.

Naruto, Drama, Mystery